I'll Never Let Go
by dancingqueen10
Summary: Jack and Rose have been reincarnated, and have a new chance to share their love. Will they get it right this time?
1. The Beginning

I'll Never Let Go  
  
A/N: I don't own anything from Titanic. It belongs to Paramount, and whatever else is related.  
  
Chapter One:  
  
"I love you, Jack," the woman said, her words slurred by her chattering teeth.  
"Don't you do that. Don't you say your goodbyes, not yet. Do you understand me?"  
"I'm so cold," the girl said softly.  
"Listen, Rose," The boy said. "You're going to get out of here. You're going to go on and you're going to make lots of babies, and you're going to watch them grow. You're going to die an old, an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here. Not this night. Not like this, do you understand me?"  
"I can't feel my body," Rose said.  
"Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing the ever happened to me. It brought me to you, and I'm thankful for that, Rose. I'm thankful."  
The girl started to cry, her tears icicles on her already freezing face.  
"You must—you must...you must do me this honor—you must promise me that you'll survive, that you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise."  
"I promise."  
"Never let go," the boy said, his teeth chattering.  
"I will never let go, Jack, I'll never let go."  
  
With a gasp, Katherine Townsend sat up in bed, her heart pounding. That dream haunted her. She didn't know who they were, only that they had been freezing, and one of them, the boy, was dying. As always, she woke up heartsick, her cheeks stiff with tears that she had cried during the night. She wasn't sure why that dream should mean so much to her. She knew that she'd never known anyone named Jack, much less promised him anything. She pulled the covers off of her, swinging her legs to the bare wooden floor. She padded softly into her bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She had curly red hair that fell to just below her shoulders. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds in the mirror, and her skin was creamy, with a sprinkling of freckles.  
She smoothed back her hair, and as she did so, the engagement ring on her left hand caught her attention, and she scowled at herself in the mirror. The ring meant a life with Colin Bates, son of one of the wealthiest men in Maryland. I don't want to marry him, she thought, staring at the ring. Damn the fact that I have to marry some stuck up man I don't like, saving friendship. But, according to my mother, it's the life I was born into. Her green eyes filled with tears, and she sobbed unhappily into her arms.  
*  
  
"Dammit! When will they fix the damn roof?" Jason Patterson grumbled, as drops of water began to drip down onto his dirty floor. "I'm sick of this dump!" he yelled.  
He placed a pan underneath the leak, then grabbed his keys and stormed out the door, going down to dirty, creaky staircase, smiling at Gretchen, the daughter of his neighbor, Anne. Anne was arguing heatedly with the superintendent, while Gretchen sat on the floor of the mail room. Jason unlocked his mailbox, smiling down at the girl as he did so.  
"How's my best girl?" he asked.  
"Good, Jason," Gretchen responded, smiling at him.  
He pulled out his mail, tousling Gretchen's hair as he walked out of the mail room. Bills, junk mail, and what's this? He wondered, staring at the plain white envelope. It was addressed to him, the logo of "Harrison School" in the upper left-hand corner.  
A flash of recognition made his blue eyes open wide. Harrison School. That's where I applied, hoping that they'd accept me and be my ticket out of this dump. I hope they liked my artwork. He managed to contain to contain his curiosity until he was back in his apartment. He tore the envelope open, quickly scanning the letter.  
"I got in!" he cried, reading the letter again to make sure he hasn't been imagining things. "I got in!"  
*  
  
There was a knock at Katherine's door, and she looked up from the book she'd been reading.  
"Come in," she called, a trace of annoyance in her words.  
One of her family's maids, Samantha, entered, carrying an envelope in her hand. "For you, Katherine. It arrived a few minutes ago."  
"Thank you, Samantha," Katherine said, then dismissed her.  
She stared at the envelope. Harrison School. The art school. I wonder if I got in. She smirked. Mother won't like that. She's adamant I be the ideal fifties type of wife. Not me. She opened the envelope, reading the letter it enclosed. As she read, a grin spread across her face.  
"I got in," she whispered. 


	2. THe Second Meeting

I'll Never Let Go  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Titanic.  
  
Chapter Two:  
  
"Mother! I am going to the art school! And you cannot stop me!" Katherine cried angrily.  
"Katherine, dear, your responsibility is here, to be Colin's wife. You have no need to go to art school." She said art school like it was the plague.  
Katherine let out a cry of frustration. "How about I go for just one semester? My wedding to Colin isn't till next May, and I'd be home in plenty of time for my wedding."  
Margaret sighed. "Yes, fine, fine."  
Katherine was taken aback. She hadn't expected to win over her mother this easily. She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That was easy."  
"It is your life, Katherine. You have raised our family to the very highest level of society by agreeing to marry Colin. He's worth billions."  
"Oh, Mother. Are you really that much of a social climber?"  
"Watch your mouth, young lady. And no, I am just saying a match between the Townsends and the Bates is a very good match indeed. You may go to the art school, and you will marry Colin in May."  
Margaret Bates sipped from her teacup, indicting without words that the conversation was over.  
  
*  
  
"I can't believe it!" Jason cried to his best friend, Thomas Grisanti. "I got in, they liked my artwork, and I'll finally get out of this dump!"  
"Yeah, and you'll be paying off that student loan for the rest of your life," Tommy joked, his eyes dancing.  
"Shut up. And besides, once I'm famous, I'll have millions and millions of dollars!"  
"Aren't we a dreamer. So when does school start?"  
"August. Three months away."  
"Ah, the start of a new life as a big artiste," Tommy joked.  
"Yeah, and you can say you knew me when," Jason shot back.  
  
Three months later...  
  
The black BMW pulled into the parking lot, followed by another BMW. Katherine drove the first car, with Colin in the passenger seat.  
"I don't see why your mother agreed to this," he muttered. "It'll only take your attention away from planning our wedding."  
"Colin, don't start." Katherine replied, parking the car and turning off the engine. "We've been through this already."  
Her only answer was Colin's silence as he continued to pout in the seat beside her. In the other BMW were two of Katherine's maids and Margaret. Margaret's face turned into an unpleasant frown when she saw the three story brick building.  
"I don't see why you wouldn't let me rent you one of those posh apartments," Margaret said. "You'd do much better here than in this dump."  
"Mother," Katherine began, but Colin interrupted her.  
"I agree. This place is dirty," he sneered.  
I ignored them. "Samantha, Deidre, bring my belongings. Let's get me unpacked."  
*  
  
"Done," Jason said, as he hung one of his paintings on the wall above his bed.  
"Looks nice," his roommate, Travis, said.  
"Thanks," Jason said, admiring his work. "I'm going to go out and see what's happening. Care to come with me?"  
"Yeah," Travis said.  
The two boys walked out to the veranda, watching the groups of students. Jason was watching them with disinterest—until a curly redhead caught his eye.  
"Wow—who's she?" Jason wondered out loud.  
"I don't know. But look at her. She's rich, you can just tell."  
"No...that's not it." Jason studied her. Flashback:  
The wind tousled his blonde hair as he sat on the bench. A beautiful redhead had appeared on the balcony above him, and he had been transfixed by her beauty. Tommy noticed where he was staring, and laughed softly.  
"Oh, forget it, boyo." An Irish accent was thick upon his voice. "You'd as like have angels fly out of your arse as get next to the likes of her."  
But the blonde didn't hear him. He had been struck by her beauty. Who was she? End flashback  
He wrinkled his brow. "I know her."  
"Know her? Who is she?"  
"That's just the thing," Jason said. "I've never seen her before in my life. But I know her."  
Travis raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, man."  
*  
  
Katherine felt Jason's eyes on her, and looked up to where the handsome blonde stood. She gasped.  
I know him! a voice inside her cried. But then the calm voice of reason took over. Know him? You've never seen him before in your life. Now stop being silly.  
But still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd met him once before. Who was he? She wondered. And why do I have the feeling that I've known him for a long, long time? 


End file.
